LITTLE ROCK — Todd Barbee loves when he gets good news.
This time, the news wasn’t specifically about the Hooters Tour Bentonville Open, but it was good public relations all the same. Tommy “Two Gloves” Gainey, a former Hooters Tour player, won an event on the Nationwide Tour on Sunday.
Gainey won the first Bentonville Open in 2007. This year’s Bentonville Open begins today at Lost Springs Golf Course in Rogers.
Barbee, the tournament director, said Gainey’s victory shows that the players on the Hooters Tour are high quality golfers.
Barbee said Gainey’s post-Hooters success shows the tour is working. Other notable former winners include PGA Tour major winners such as Zach Johnson, Chad Campbell and Lee Janzen.
“It’s tremendous,” Barbee said. “Every bit [of information] we put out, we start with our alumni. That’s the whole job - our first job is to promote Hooters - is to prepare these guys for the next level. When one of our guys makes it, it shows that we’re doing that.”
This year’s tournament, the fourth held at Lost Springs, will have two former champions and seven of the top 10 money winners on the Hooters Tour. Nick Beach, of Fayetteville, came close to winning the Bentonville Open a year ago when he finished in a tie for second, three shots behind champion David Miller of Daphne, Ala.
“We’d love for someone from Arkansas to do well,” Barbee said.
Miller won the tournament a year ago with a four round total of 20 under par. The winners the previous two years, Ben Briscoe in 2008 and Gainey in 2007, shot 15-under par on the 6,903-yard, Par-71 course.
Barbee said the course is in great shape and, if the weather is good, he expects another low score to win.
“The course is probably the best I’ve ever seen it,” Barbee said. “It’s always great, but the greens are perfect. The rough is going to give players some problems.
“If the wind is not blowing, it’s not the most demanding course in the world. If the wind starts whipping around, it could make it very tough.”
Bentonville Open
WHAT Hooters Tour event WHEN Today through Sunday WHERE Lost Springs Golf Club, Rogers WHO 152 professional and amateur golfers DEFENDING CHAMPION David Miller
Sports, Pages 21 on 06/10/2010